Hayward’s Trading Post and Country Store

This store is my most favorite store ever! It has the best leather goods at the most reasonable prices you can find anywhere. Lot’s of interesting items, hats, gloves, Schott leather jackets, cowboy boots, Pendleton clothes, leather belts… and the list goes on. You won’t get a better price anywhere else. I love visiting this store. It’s a real treat for me.

Great ice cream! The dogs and burgers on the other hand aren’t too great, good price, if you want a quick fix.

Most little girls beg their mom to take them to the toy store. When I was young I would beg my mom to take me here! They have the most unique things. I used to get little Indian dolls and all kinds of aztec-​esque things! It’s a place that everyone must check out at least once.

Haywards Trading Post (unrelated to Hayward’s the ice cream stand) Is a Southern NH tradition. They carry goods that are reminiscent of an era before Walmart when things were made by hand in America and made to last. This is where you can find a pretty large selection of Chippewa, Pendleton, Johnson Woolen Mills, and other brands known for quality and longevity.
This is where the locals come, the only reason they have the candy and nic nacs is to keep the tourists, who prefer fake materials to real animal hides (see above), happy. If you are looking for the real deal, built to last, made in America products come here. The staff is the sweetest group of ladies you could ever hope for, and most of them grew up right here in NH.
The store is pretty small so they pack it full of as much product as they can but if you do need something that they don’t have they can usually put an order in for you very quickly. I ordered my Chippewa’s through them and it only took about a week.
Hawards Trading Post is the real McCoy! if you are looking for cheapo stuff that docent stand up then you are in the wrong spot. If you want fancy pants, pretty princess items drive right by, Hayward’s is for the real granite staters bud!

Big fan of this location, once a year around XMas we get 2 – 3 pairs of slippers and boots for gifts. The leather jackets they sell here I think are just put up for decoration, as are the blankets probably the gaudey prices. Slippers usually fit small and most of the time will stretch out. Half sizes aren’t available for most men’s sizes and some woman. They are like most places where you really need to know what the quality level of the items you are buying instead of the store. In a sense they are just a middle man pushing slippers. Good people, decent prices, good sales, worth checking out in lieu of going to the mall. Second only in my opinion to Zappos for selection and prices, some items you can’t find online or in other stores for slippers.

I’ll admit — I do enjoy visiting stores like this to look around and hope that I find something useful by way of gifts or clothing for myself or friends. I don’t find it very enjoyable however, when merchandise is overpriced, understocked, and the staff is comparable to squinty-​eyed hawks staring at you as you look around.
I guess I’ve been spoiled by the internet and its vast quantity of choices, but to be honest I don’t like shoe shopping online. I like to try things on before I buy them. So knowing this place usually sells some good-​quality footwear, I stopped in to try and find some new winter boots. Unfortunately, the only pair I found that didn’t look like it rolled off of a Fringes-​R-​Us truck or the Ugly Ship only came in men’s sizes. Dammit.
I checked out their leather glove section, which at first glance seems expansive, but when you actually check out the quality of the gloves, it’s rather disappointing. Not many of them are lined, and even if they are, they all feel itchy and gross inside. I know most of them are real animal skin, but there’s a limit to how much skin-​irritation I’m willing to risk in order to stay warm with OMG! Real leather gloves. Come on, at least line them with fur. Sheesh. And once again, nothing in my size (medium, for Pete’s sake!).
Don’t bother with the hats or wallets here. Way overpriced, and godawful ugly.
The section I DO like in this store is all the way to the left if you’re coming in the entrance. It’s the fun part — you know, post cards, incense, souvenirs, old candy brands you thought were extinct, etc. I find it rather nostalgic and interesting to browse through.
Despite the gripes though, there’s something about this place that makes me keep coming back. I guess it’s that dumb hope that they’ll actually have something in stock that I’ll consider worth buying.

Bear in a cage on a pole? Are you sure you aren’t thinking about «Clark’s Trading Post» in North Woodstock, NH?
The store claims to be the largest retail store of moccasins in the US. Since its one of the few stores I’ve ever seen that sells these, I can’t dispute it. :)
They also have a decent selection of leather boots and shoes, as well a decent sized candy shop with alot of «old fashioned» candy.
…and of course, lots of Native American related clothing and other items.
The ice cream is actually down the road a bit at «Hayward’s Ice Cream Stand». I don’t think it is actually related to this store. Nonetheless, they make fresh ice cream that is very good!

I used to come here as a kid for the moccasins and ice cream cones. I think there was a bear in a cage on a pole back then… don’t judge! Culture isn’t always politically correct…
I called them up recently and got exactly what I wanted, easily and quickly: a gift certificate for my cousin Jerry who used to go here with me back in the day…
An added bonus: no sales tax this being New Hampshire, Live Free or Die, baby!
Go Monadnock Huskies!